


It's All In My Head!

by poisonous_panda



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Brotherhood, Claustrophobia, Fear, Gen, Hammerhead - Freeform, Insecurities, Mental Breakdown, friendships, magitek exosuits, mumnis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 12:46:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11669406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poisonous_panda/pseuds/poisonous_panda
Summary: For two people on Tumblr who suggested Prompto may struggle with the new Magitek Exosuits because of their likeness to MTs and because of his claustrophobia





	It's All In My Head!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Prompto_Cam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prompto_Cam/gifts).



Prompto’s face paled at the sight of the royal retinue’s new weapons.

Being fair-haired, he was quite pale anyway, but now his freckles positively popped from his face.

“Uhh guys.... think I’m gonna pass on wearing these.” he flippantly tells his comrades, turning his back on the new Magitek Exosuits. They were like solid suits of armour that covered the entirity of the wearer. Cindy had constructed them from the leftover Magitek parts the friends had brought to her after they’d destroyed the Niff bases.

“Lighten up,” Noct laughs at his best friend, “It’ll be a blast!”

“Meant to boost combat performance too,” The King’s Shield gruffly answers, “And Six knows you could do with the help Prompto!”. The older man just couldn’t resist a dig at his younger (and weaker) friend.

“B-but... I can’t... I can’t take photos wearing that clunky ol’ thing!” Prompto tries to defend himself, but his voice has gone a little higher pitched than he was comfortable with.

Ignis sidles up to him while Noct and Gladio are trying to work out how to get the suits on.

“Is it the claustrophobia Prom?” the bespectacled man asks softly so the others don’t hear.

“Y-yeah...” Prompto trails off.

It wasn’t a lie. Not technically. Prompto WAS claustrophobic. It stemmed from the nightmares that plagued his childhood of being locked in a giant test tube-like tank; no matter how much he banged on the glass he just couldn’t break it, and no matter how much he screamed he never made a sound, only silent bubbles escaped his mouth. He always woke up drenched in sweat, tangled in his sheets as his heart banged against his chest.

But no, that wasn’t the only reason. The other was because the suits made them look.... like them.

Lost in his worrying, the other three had already suited up.

“C’monnnnn Chocobutt!” Noctis laughs as he summons his sword and sprints into the wilderness; Ignis and Gladio obviously close behind their charge.

“Don’t worry sugar,” comes a chirpy female voice behind Prompto, “Fixed ‘em up myself!”

It was Cindy, the best mechanic around. Well, in Prompto’s opinion at least. She looked so proud of herself that Prompto just couldn’t resist that smile of hers.

“Well! Guess I got nothing to worry about!” he smiles at her, his words tumbling out of his mouth quicker than his brain could keep track. The blush forming on his cheeks wasn’t helping matters either.

Well, now he had to wear the damn suit. If only because his crush on Cindy was making him walk towards the thing and put his hand on it before he could comprehend what he was doing.

Sucking in a deep breath, Prompto releases the clasps on the back and watches in awe as the suit opens up for him and waves of blue energy pulsate through the suit.

Ever the technophile, his curiosity and - dare he think it - excitement was overriding his fear.

Stepping into the suit, he winces and lets out a little yelp as it closed in around him. There’s some flickering, then a digital screen appeared over his face of the outside world. It seems the suit covered the wearer’s face and fed a view of the outside world back into the suit. That way the wearer could fight and not worry about their face being exposed to damage. Cindy had truly outdone herself.

Taking another quick breath, Prompto flexed his fingers and toes, getting a feel for the suit.

“I can do this.” he tells himself defiantly as he takes off running after his friends.

The suit isn’t as heavy as it looks, which is a welcome relief, and due to Prompto’s continuous jogging exercises every morning, he catches up with his friends in no time.

They’ve engaged in battle with a pack of Sabretusks.

Leaping up a rock formation and summoning his gun, Prompto takes careful aim and dispatches of a particularly sneaky one creeping up behind Ignis as he was analysing the Alpha Tusk. Ignis turns around quickly at the noise, to which Prompto gives him a thumbs up then he jumps off the boulder to join the fray.

The Sabretusks didn’t stand a chance. But the celebrations didn’t last long.

“A Magitek engine! It’s close!” Ignis’ deep prim voice cut through the friends’ chatter.

Like a well oiled machine, the four friends got into position and drew their weapons, ready for battle.

The Troopers jumped from the dropships, the fall not phasing them in the slightest, and they came at the men with their swords and axes.

As instinct kicked in, the royal retinue gave it their all.

That was, until Prompto made eye contact with an MT.

“It... It can’t be.” he whispers.

The glowing red eyes were emotionless as they advanced on Prompto. The blonde raised his gun, but the sight of his own armoured arm made him drop his weapon. He froze, couldn’t even step back.

In the bright chestplate of the MT, Prompto had caught sight of his reflection. He looked like an MT in this suit. How would his friends tell the difference between him and an MT when they both looked so mechanic?

Wait.

Was it some kind of sick joke? Did the others know his origins after all? Did they do this to... to make his death look like an accident? Or to show him they accepted him and saw him on the same level as them? After all they were wearing the suits too.

No of course not. He was wishfully dreaming.

His internal conflict was cut short as Noctis struck the advancing MT from above, cutting the robot where it stood. But when his friend turned... the venom in his eyes made Prompto feel like that lonely, worthless fat kid back in elementary school. Did Noctis know his secret and hate him?

The suit suddenly felt very constricting and Prompto was struggling to breathe. Sweat slicked his back and pasted his hair to his head. His fingers and toes were tingling uncomfortably. His muscles were straining against the suit as it suffocated him, and his breathing became more laboured. It was so HOT inside this bloody thing, how had he not noticed before?

“It’s all in my head, it’s all in my head, it’s all in my head!” Prompto mentally chanted to himself.

But then Noctis pounced.

Prompto held his arms up to shield himself from the blow... that never came.

Instead, Noctis landed behind him, slashing another MT to ribbons.

“Prompto! Wake up!” Gladio hollered from a few feet away, his deep masculine voice muffled somewhat by the suits.

Prompto couldn’t move. He was sure his heart would punch right out of his chest, his lungs would collapse and his eyeballs would burst all at once.

He jumped and let out a scream as a hand clamped on his shoulder.

Turning his head, he came face-to-face with Noctis. And he was smiling.

Relief washed over Prompto so strongly he thought he might puke.

“Easy buddy, can’t shoot ‘em without this!” Noct laughs as he lightly pushed Prompto’s gun into the gunslinger’s chest.

Then Noctis was off again, slicing and dicing the enemy.

Wrapping his fingers around the gun, Prompto broke out of his trance when he spotted an MT getting ready to fire the magic-draining hooks they have installed on their wrists at Noctis from behind.

“Oh no you don’t!” he shouts as he runs towards the powering-up MT and jumps into the air as he lands a headshot.

“Nice one!” Noctis shouts to his best friend, earning a huge smile from the blonde - even though Prompto knew he couldn’t see it.

The rest of the battle was easier, as long as Prompto focussed on protecting his best friend.

As the last Trooper evaporated in a cloud of dark smoke, the four friends cheer.

“I’m bushed, let’s head back.” Gladio says.

“Yeah, right.” Noctis nods at his Shield.

Setting off back towards Hammerhead, Ignis quietly stalks beside Prompto.

“You did well staving off the claustrophobia today.” he says, eyes facing forward as Prompto turned his head to look at him.

“You uhh... you saw that?” he asks sheepishly.

“Yes. I must say I never realised it was quite so strong a phobia you have Prompto. I shall have a word with Noctis about these suits if you wish.”

Prompto felt a warm rush of brotherly love for the older man. He always cared for the group, asking for nothing in return.

“Eh... I’m more annoyed I didn’t get any photos!” the gunslinger playfully whined.

Ignis just chuckled at his younger friend as they made their way back to the petrol station.


End file.
